The EX-Vampire Diaries
by livlivjj
Summary: This story is set 5 months after Stefan's death. Damon and Elena have been reunited, Bonnie is travelling the world, and Caroline is raising her children with Alaric. Everything is back to normal ... or is it?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So I know I haven't been active for a really long time but I recently finished the Vampire Diaries and I was feeling inspired so here's a little fanfic for all you Vampire Diaries fans. This story will be based on the characters' lives after Stefan died. I hope you all enjoy it and don't forget to review!**

 **Elena's POV**

I snuggle further into Damon's warm embrace, and look up into his sharp, yet sexy blue eyes. He smiles at me, and I can't help but smile back. It's moments like these that I missed the most while I was gone. It just feels so normal … so natural. After I met Damon and Stefan I never thought I'd be able to use those words ever again, but ever since Stefan gave Damon the cure, our lives have just felt so … human, literally. I break my gaze from his, and turn my attention to the writing engraved into the concrete in front of us, reading " _Stefan Salvatore_ ". My heart sinks. It's been nearly 5 months and the space in my heart where Stefan once was still hasn't been filled. He was the first true love of my life, other than Matt who was more of a childhood best friend than a boyfriend. Although I feel like I can't show my sadness too much when I'm around Damon and Caroline, because Stefan dying was an even bigger loss for them. We're all trying our best to move on because we know that it's what Stefan would've wanted us to do, but deep down, Stefan has left a scar on us all.

"Well I don't know about you but I think I've had my daily dose of depression," Damon says cheekily, trying to make light of the situation.

"Damon, it's okay to mourn for your dead brother," I murmur softly, turning to face him. I look into his eyes, and I know he is in pain.

"Well technically he was dead before," he winks, before walking out the gate. I watch him with admiration, he's so strong. Then he walks into a tree. I cover my mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping it.

"Ah," he groans, stepping away from the tree with his hand on his forehead. He pulls his hand away to reveal a small bleeding scratch. "You know, this whole clumsiness thing was a lot easier to avoid when I was a vampire." I laugh as I walk over to him and he curls his arm around my waist, and we walk home.

I'm preparing dinner when I hear a loud knock on the front door, and my heart skips a beat. I flash Damon a look of worry, while I wonder who it could be. No one has come to see us since Stefan died. Damon cautiously walks to the door and opens it, revealing a small figure with short, dark hair. A smile stretches across my face.

"Hey Bon Bon!" Damon grins, enveloping her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't visit sooner, I just figured we all needed some time to ourselves to adjust," Bonnie sighs, before making eye contact with me. She pulls away from Damon and we run to each other, throwing our arms around each other. I'm smiling so hard that my cheeks are hurting, I haven't seen my best friend in nearly 5 months.

"Bonnie I've missed you so much," I murmur.

She pulls away and grabs my shoulders, staring intensely into my eyes.

"Elena I am so so sorry that I haven't visited you for so long, I just knew how much Stefan meant to the both of you and I just –" Bonnie starts.

"Bonnie, honestly, don't worry about it. I'm just glad to see you again," I smile. We sit down and I make coffee for the three of us.

"So how's life on the road?" I ask her excitedly.

"Oh my God it's been amazing! I don't know why I didn't do it sooner," she grins. "Enzo's been with me every step of the way too."

Damon rolls his eyes and asks, "speaking of Enzo, how is the lil' tool doing anyway?"

"He's doing just fine," Bonnie laughs. "I get to see him all the time. I mean, he technically isn't actually with me, he's in an entirely different universe but it's enough to keep me going." I smile admiringly at how strong she is for being able to cope with everything that she has been through, and I think back to the night of the hellfire, which she stopped all by herself.

"Have you heard from Caroline?" I ask her hopefully.

"This is Caroline Forbes that we're talking about here … she wouldn't let me go five months without all the drama that comes along with her," she laughs. "Why, have you?"

I twiddle my fingers and look down at them, "no, not really."

"Well I say we go pay Blondie a visit," Damon suggests, with a small smirk on his face.

I knock on the front door, and it opens to reveal Caroline, who has a massive smile on her face.

"Elena. Oh, my god," Caroline pulls me into a warm hug. "How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you. How is she? Is she good?" Caroline turns to Bonnie.

"Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine, thank you," I smile. I'm suddenly reminded of my first day back at school after my parents died, and how warm Caroline was when she greeted me. The same day I met Stefan for the first time … oh God. In my mind, thousands of thoughts are rushing through my head. What do I say? Oh, sorry that I haven't attempted to make any sort of contact for 5 months, I've been mourning over your dead husband?

"Elena, whatever it is … it's okay," Caroline says softly, obviously able to read my facial expression. I look her into the eyes, and pull her into another hug. I've really missed her.

"Mummm! Lizzy hid my hairbrush!" a small voice calls from inside the house, causing Caroline to pull away.

"Look guys I'm so happy that you came to visit me, but you've kinda come at a bad time," Caroline sighs, with a hint of tiredness in her voice. "I promise I'll text you soon and we can catch up properly."

"No worries, Care," I smile. "I just needed to see you."

Bonnie and Damon start heading towards the car and I turn to follow them, before a hand grabs my arm. I turn to see Caroline staring me dead in the eye with concern.

"I didn't want to tell you this while Damon and Bonnie were around," she whispers, checking her surroundings to make sure nobody could eavesdrop. "There's something wrong with Bonnie. Enzo dying has had a huge effect on her."

"But she said that she sees him all the time," I say, confused. Caroline stares into my eyes for a couple seconds longer before releasing her grip on me.

"Yeah you're right … never mind. Have a good day Elena, I'll see you soon."

 **There you have it … the first chapter! I hope you guys like it, and if you have any suggestions for the storyline please PM me or leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! So, I was writing Chapter Two on my phone at around midnight a few days ago, and just as I was about to publish it, my phone glitched out and the whole chapter was deleted** **L** **. So, I've had to rewrite it as best as I can. Also, just wanted to apologise for the bad transitions in the last chapter, I had put spaces in-between the changes of scene but they didn't publish which made parts of the chapter a bit confusing. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

I open my eyes in a setting that is all too familiar to me. I turn slowly and inhale my surroundings: the musty scent, the cobwebbed walls, the bouquet of lilies I had placed under Stefan's name the other day. I walk over to the slab of concrete engraved with Stefan's name, and trace my fingers along the cracks. I can almost _feel_ his presence. His warm smile, his shiny brown hair, his laugh – which, admittedly, was never really heard often – and every past memory with him comes flooding back. From the day we bumped into each other outside of the boys' bathroom, to our encounter on his way to finding peace. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes, clouding my vision a little.

"I can see it now," a familiar voice says behind me. My heart nearly stops. I turn to see … him. Stefan.

Half of me wants to run into his arms and tell him that everything's going to be okay, but the other half of is in too much shock to even move, like my feet have been planted into the ground.

"Stefan," I murmur. I look into his eyes to find he is not even looking at me, he is looking at something behind me. I turn, and find a mirror which takes up the entire wall. A mirror that definitely wasn't there before. I turn to look at Stefan in the mirror, but to my horror, it isn't Stefan in the mirror. I see blood dripping fangs, completely black eyes, and bodies are scattered all around the room, completely detached limb from limb. I see a monster.

"I can see it now," he repeats. Heart racing, I let out an ear-piercing scream. Stefan stands, and slowly begins to walk towards me. I try to back away, to find the wall is right behind me – I'm trapped. Stefan is now so close that I can feel ourselves breathing the same air. He grabs me, and shakes me with all his might, yelling "Elena! Elena …"

"ELENA!" I open my eyes to find Damon looking back at me, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. My hair is sticking to the sweat which has gathered on my forehead, and I can feel my body swimming in a pool of sweat that has soaked my bedsheets. My breaths are hard and fast, and my heart is pounding like a drum.

"Elena, you're okay. You're with me," Damon murmurs reassuringly, stroking my cheek. When I look into his eyes, my heart slows to its regular pace and I release a sigh of relief.

"I saw Stefan," I whisper, feeling slightly lost for words. Damon gives me a sad smile, the kind of smile you would give to a helpless animal on the side of the road. That's when I realise how stupid I sound … Stefan is dead.

"I believe you," Damon says. He kisses me on the forehead and holds me against his chest, stroking my hair until I fall asleep again.

* * *

The next morning I'm feeling completely exhausted, like someone's pulled a plug in my brain and drained me of every bit of energy I have in me. I lie in bed for a while, just staring at the ceiling, contemplating whether or not I should get out of bed and make use of the day. Suddenly, I hear my phone vibrate and I reluctantly grab it and check my notifications. I see a text from Caroline reading:

 **GRILL IS HAVING GRAND RE-OPENING TODAY. I EXPECT TO SEE YOU THERE X**

I roll out of my bed slow and sluggishly, and throw on a pair of jeans with a black t-shirt. I walk over to my dresser and sit down, looking into the mirror at my reflection.

"I can see it now," a voice says. I flash around, but find nobody is there. I look back at the mirror, and Stefan is standing behind me. Again, I look around my room, but nobody is there.

"You're not a monster, Stefan!" I yell. I look at him in the mirror, and his face begins to transform. Fangs are emerging, and his pupils are swallowing his eyes, turning them completely black. I can see his veins emerging through his skin, dark, and pulsing with the blood of his victims.

"You're not a monster!" I scream.

Damon bursts into the room, with a wooden stake in hand. He looks at me with worry, and scans the room frantically for any sign of danger.

"Damon! I saw him again, he was in my room," I blurt out, on the edge of tears. Damon puts the stake down carefully, and walks over to me. He pulls me out of my chair and envelopes me in a hug.

"Let's get out of the house for a bit. You've isolated yourself for 5 months and I think it's having an effect," he says.

"Damon I'm not crazy," I say. "I saw him."

"Elena, I wouldn't call you crazy even if you took up knitting and adopted 20 cats," he winks. "Katherine Pierce on the other hand, now that's my definition of crazy."

I laugh, and pull away from the hug. Standing this close to Damon, I notice his electric blue eyes, his adorable smile. He is perfect.

"Damon Salvatore, I love you," I whisper while looking deep into his eyes.

"And I love you, Elena Gilbert," he says back, and his lips meet mine. In this moment, I feel at peace, like when I kiss him nothing bad could ever happen to us. He pulls away, and I drop my lower lip in hope he could kiss me again.

"You know, I would do this all day," Damon says. "But we should go out for the day. Any suggestions?"

"Caroline said something about a grand re-opening for The Grill, we could go to that?" I suggest.

"Ah what Caroline Forbes says, goes," he smirks, and stands beside the door. "After you, milady."

* * *

Sitting in the rebuilt Mystic Grill feels just like the old one. Everything is back in its rightful place, the pool tables, the foosball table, the bar stools, everything. The atmosphere is warm and joyful, filled with happy – and slightly drunk – people. Damon and I are sitting at a table for 6, waiting for Caroline and God knows who else she's asked to come along. Behind me, I hear someone squeal, "Elena!", and I turn to find Caroline and Alaric walking towards us. I stand to greet them, and as expected, Caroline squeezes me into a long hug.

"It's so good to see you again, properly this time!" she exclaims. Alaric pulls her away from me playfully and pulls me into a hug.

"Elena," he sighs happily.

"Ric," I say in return. "It's been so long."

"Too long," Alaric agrees. Over Alaric's shoulder I see Bonnie strutting towards us.

"Bonnie?" I exclaim. I pull away from Alaric and rush over to Bonnie, wrapping my arms around her. Although it's only been a week or so since I saw her last, it feels like a lifetime.

"I'm so glad to see you again," she murmurs, before suddenly pulling away.

"What is it, Bon?" I ask, and she points behind me with a massive grin. I turn to find Matt sitting at the table, talking to Caroline.

"Matt," I say. He turns and we lock eyes, and I walk over and hug him.

"Elena, I'm so sorry I didn't make contact sooner," he says. I smile at him reassuringly and sit down next to him.

We all catch up as a group, talking about what we've been up to since the last time we all saw each other 5 months ago. Caroline is now working for BBC News, Alaric is now a stay at home Dad (as they no longer trust nannies), and Matt is now living in New Zealand, which is pretty much the furthest he could get from Mystic Falls.

"So is there a girl, Matt?" Alaric asks.

Matt smiles and says, "nah bro."

" _Bro_? Wow it's been 5 months and you're already beginning to sound like one of those … what do you call them?" Alaric asks.

"Kiwis," Matt chuckled.

"What, like the fruit?" Bonnie asks.

"No, genius. Like the flightless bird, of course," Caroline laughs. "That's what they call each other in New Zealand."

"That's so great that you've started a new life _away_ from Mystic Falls, Matt," I smile. "You sound so happy."

"Yeah well the only thing supernatural there are the sheep, so it's pretty great," he laughs.

"As far as I'm concerned, there's no supernatural activity here either," Caroline says pointedly. "Well except for me of course."

Matt pauses and says, "wait … you haven't heard?"

"Heard what?" I cut in.

Matt goes sort of quiet and takes a quick gulp of his drink.

"They're _back_."

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, pleeeease leave reviews and send me PMs for feedback and let me know what you think!**

 **Also, I'm giving someone the chance to "star" in the story. If you want to be a character in the story, PM me your name and what you look like. I will choose one or two people to be in the story, good luck!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoy this chapter** **J**

My mind is still buzzing from yesterday's lunch at the Grill; I can't believe they're back. Just when things were starting to become semi-normal again. I try to push what Matt revealed yesterday to the back of my head so I can focus on getting ready for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. To be honest I'm slightly surprised that I was chosen as a candidate, considering I was M.I.A for 3 years … _and_ also 5 months technically, because I barely left the house after Stefan died. I look and my dress and knaw at my fingernails anxiously. It's been so long since I've had time to think about such normal things. No Katherine Pierce wreaking havoc, no sirens, no Hunters, nothing. Well … almost nothing.

"Are you going to put the dress on or are you planning to stare at it all day?" Damon asks, leaning against the door frame.

"Yeah I will … sorry. I've been distracted," I mumble.

"Hey, don't worry about what Matt said," he assures me. "He's been hanging around sheep and hobbits for a little too long and I reckon it's messing with his head."

"Yeah I guess," I mutter, scratching my forehead.

"Besides," Damon smirked, nodding towards the neglected dress. "Don't worry about that stupid dress. I think you look better with nothing on."

I chuckle and roll my eyes, then I grab the dress and take it into the ensuite, flashing Damon a cheeky grin before disappearing through the door.

"Aw man," I can hear Damon sigh with disappointment from the other side of the door. "You know I could help you put that on if you want."

I laugh, and quickly strip down in front of the mirror. As I pull the dress past my stomach, I notice it's quite tight. My heart skips a beat, as a realisation hits me. I have a food baby on the day of Miss Mystic Falls.

"Damon, I think I had too much breakfast," I say, holding my inflated stomach.

"Come out, show yourself!" he commands. I slowly open the door and walk out cautiously, feeling slightly self-conscious.

"Elena, you look beautiful," Damon pulls me into his arms. "Oh … I can feel the bacon."

"Shut up," I laugh, hitting him playfully.

* * *

The Lockwood Mansion is just as beautifully decorated as the last Mystic Falls I attended. The stairwell is laced with purple ribbons and sashes, and twinkling lights blink at me, hiding within the ribbon. Beautifully dressed men and women are mingling in various places throughout the building, creating a warm and familiar atmosphere. For the first time in a long time, Mystic Falls feels like home. I'm standing near the top of the stairs where I'm about to make an entrance as candidate, and we're slightly tucked away where the audience can't see us.

"Violet Fell," Peter Maxwell, the new mayor, announces. The blonde girl in front of me begins to walk down the stairs, and my heart begins to beat a little faster. There's nobody else lined up, I'm the last one. I take a deep breath, and then exhale. I'm ready. Suddenly, a hand clasps over my mouth and drags me into a nearby wardrobe. I struggle frantically, lashing at my attacker and pulling at their hands.

"Shh," the voice whispers.

"Elena Gilbert," I faintly hear Peter announce, followed by a lot of murmuring. "Elena?"

I continue to struggle, and muffle a scream. The voice is now laughing.

"Come on now, love. It hasn't been that long since we last encountered now, was it?"

 **I'm so sorry that this chapter is so short! I'll try to make the next chapter longer.**

 **Who do you think the attacker is? Leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! You can expect to see more chapters more often now because it's finally the holidays! Hope you enjoy this one**

Caroline sits on her favourite cream coloured sofa, scribbling notes for an upcoming news report. She wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead, and removes her jersey in hopes that the stress will be removed with it.

"Lizzie! That's _my_ doll!" Josie screams at the top of her lungs before racing after her sister. Lizzie dashes through the house, holding the doll well above her head as if to tease her sister.

"Alright girls what's going on?" Alaric asks with concern.

The twins point at each other and yell in unison. "She started it!"

"I don't care who started it, I'm ending it!" Alaric exclaims, and scoops the twins into his arms, racing around the living room.

"Dad! Put us down!" they laugh, attempting to wriggle free. Caroline smiles as she watches her family, all so happy. However, there's still a nagging feeling at the back of her mind telling her she shouldn't be happy. She knows how Alaric feels for her, and as much as she wants to feel the same towards him, she can't. She's still deeply in love with Stefan, who has been gone for almost 6 months.

"Mummy, help us!" Lizzie squeals. Caroline grins and races over to join the fun. Josie reaches out and wraps her hand around Caroline's wrist, sending a searing pain up her arm.

"Ow!" Caroline pulls away, stroking her tender arm. Alaric turns to Caroline and looks at her with concern.

"You okay, Care?" Alaric murmurs, before suddenly turning his tone serious. "You girls need to be more careful."

"I'm sorry Mummy," Josie sobs, snuggling into Alaric's neck. "I didn't mean to."

"I know Honey, it was just an accident," Caroline stammers, trying to conceal the fear that is slowly building up inside. This felt more powerful than before, her daughters are getting stronger. "I'm gonna visit Elena."

She grabs her cardigan and opens the front door, to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers resting on her front porch. Her heart flutters a little and she grabs the bouquet, fumbling for a tag or a card. Her fingers clasp around a small piece of paper attached to the stems by string. She flips it over, and her heart drops as she reads it. She takes the bouquet along with the tag and runs as fast as she can to the Salvatore house.

* * *

Damon paces the living room, his heart pounding with worry for Elena. He clenches his fist and digs his nails into his palms in attempt to calm down. He finally retires to the couch and rests his head in his hands, tugging at his hair. He is becoming restless from searching all day, having searched the entire Lockwood mansion and its immediate surroundings. Elena would never just leave him without saying anything, considering that last time she did that, she ended in a 3-year slumber. Suddenly, a cacophony of thumping echoes at the front door. Damon's heart begins to race, _perhaps it's Elena._ He races to the door, and swings it wide open.

"Damon, we need to talk," Caroline says sternly. Damon's heart sinks.

"Oh. Hey, Blondie," Damon mutters. "Not really in the mood for one of your chit chats right n-"

Before Damon can finish speaking, Caroline thrusts the bouquet of flowers into his hands.

"I have a girlfriend," Damon says puzzledly.

"No, read the tag," Caroline rolls her eyes. Damon finds the tag and his eyes scan the words that are printed perfectly on it.

" _For you, love._

 _Klaus"_

* * *

I wake up in an unfamiliar room, however the house itself seems strangely familiar. The old-fashioned skirting, the beautiful royal wallpaper, it all seems like a place I've been before. From the edge of my hearing I can faintly hear people arguing from outside the door, slowly coming closer and closer. I begin to panic … what are they going to do to me?

"I just think taking Elena was a stupid way to announce your return to town, would you not agree?" a female voice yells.

"Ah, Rebekah. What did you expect me to do? Bake muffins and send out care packages? You must hardly know me at all, which is ridiculous considering we've been bloody stuck with each other for over a thousand years!" a voice snaps back.

"Niklaus you are bloody unbelievable. It took long enough for us to gain their trust in the first place, and now you've gone and thrown it out the window!" Rebekah yells.

I'm straining so hard to hear, that I realise I've been holding my breath, causing me to choke a little. I automatically clasp my hand over my mouth, and suddenly the voices stop. My heart is pounding, and my stomach is churning with butterflies. I watch the doorknob slowly turn, and the sound of creaking echoes quietly throughout the room, making me shiver. The door opens, to reveal Klaus and Rebekah Mikaelson. To my relief, their faces don't show any sign of hunger or anger, and so I release a sigh.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would wake up," Klaus smiles, sitting on the edge of my bed. Rebekah stays beside the door with her arms crossed, sending shivers of intimidation up my spine. I pull the blankets closer to my face and pull my knees in towards my chest.

"She's scared," Rebekah scoffs. "Not much has changed, you're still weak and pathetic." Anger boils inside of me, causing me to remember what happened before I got here.

"You kidnapped me!" I yell at Klaus.

"Well I wouldn't say _kidnapped_ ," Klaus says. "Kidnap sounds so negative. I prefer to use the term 'borrowed'."

"Well care to explain why you _borrowed_ me?" I growl.

"Hush now, I was just getting to that part. Just quiet down please, we wouldn't want to wake up Elijah-"

"A little too late for that, brother," Elijah suddenly emerges from behind the door.

"Elijah. How kind of you to join us," Klaus smiles sarcastically. "Good nap?"

"Yes, I absolutely love waking up in a coffin," Elijah replies.

"Well you're lucky I took that dagger out, I was considering leaving you there for another few years," Klaus says.

"Let us not forget that _I_ was the one who removed the dagger, not you," Rebekah scowls.

"I'm sorry. I forgot you were even here," Klaus says, causing Rebekah to lunge at him with a wooden stake. Elijah grabs her and injects a syringe of vervain into her neck, and she crumbles to the ground.

"Thank you, brother," Klaus says, patting Elijah on the back.

"What do you want with me?" I groan. Klaus turns to me and smiles.

"I was hoping you could help me with something," he says.

 **There you go! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Just a quick side note, I don't watch "The Originals" so in this story, everything that happened in "The Originals" doesn't apply to this story. Therefore, Klaus is still in love with Caroline (because I don't know if he is in love with her in the Originals) and everything else that happened in the Originals never happened.**

 **ALSO remember I'm giving someone the chance to be a character in this story! So please leave a review or PM me your name and a brief description of what you look like.**

 **Thanks for all of the support guys, make sure to leave a review**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone, it's me again. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a review and let me know what you think.**

"We need to tell Bonnie that Elena's missing," Caroline says whilst pulling out her phone.

"Yeah, I guess," Damon mumbles, still pacing the hallway.

Caroline puts her phone back in her pocket and says, "I've told her to meet us at the old Mikaelson's house."

"Well then let's go!" Damon mutters with frustration, and for once his statements show no trace of wittiness.

"Right, sorry," Caroline says. She opens the door to reveal a teenage boy, probably around the age of 17.

"Is this the house of Damon Salvatore?" he asks. Caroline and Damon look at each other in shock and nod for the boy to continue.

"All whom currently reside are formally invited to the Mikaelson's welcome party," he says joyfully. "It will begin at 6 o'clock tonight." He then turns and begins to walk away, before Caroline grabs him by the shoulder and turns him abruptly.

"Who sent you here?" she asks. The smile which was previously plastered across his face has now been replaced with a puzzled frown.

"I … I don't remember," he mumbles, clearly straining to remember.

"He's been compelled," Caroline releases him from her grip, and he walks away.

"No kidding," Damon says sarcastically. "I never would've guessed by his little speech from the Mikaelsons."

Caroline rolls her eyes and begins to head toward Damon's Chevy Camaro Convertible and slips into the driver's seat.

"Ahem?" Damon calls. "What gives you the idea that I'm gonna allow you to drive _my_ car?"

"I did," Caroline hisses, bearing her fangs. Damon immediately retreats to the passenger seat.

"Just to clarify," Damon clears his throat. "I'm sitting here because I don't feel like driving, not because you have dominance over me. Which you don't."

Caroline chuckles and revs the accelerator, causing Damon to jump.

"What?" he mutters. "Must be the human reflexes."

* * *

I'm using Rebekah's vintage silver-plated hairbrush which she reluctantly allowed me to borrow, in preparation for tonight's party. I watch myself in the mirror as I brush my long brown hair, enjoying the satisfaction of my hair being perfectly tangle free and smooth.

"I can see it now," a voice says from behind me. The same voice that has been haunting me for almost 6 months. My heart is pounding out of my chest, and every muscle in my body is telling me to run as fast as I can, as far away as possible – but I'm entirely frozen in fear. My feet are planted to the floor, and I can almost feel myself sinking like a stick in quicksand. I look in the mirror, and like every time before, I see Stefan. His face begins to transform again, into a blood sucking monster. In the mirror, bodies are sprawled across the entire floor, completely drained of life. Heads detached from their bodies.

"I can see it now," Stefan repeats, taking a step closer to me. And another. And another. I release an ear-piercing scream. He is so close I can almost feel his breath against my neck.

"What the bloody hell are you screaming at?" I turn to find Rebekah standing right behind me, where Stefan once was.

"I … I-thought … I thought I s-saw-" I stammer.

"Y-you s-saw w-what?" Rebekah mimics. "God, I always knew you were insane."

At this point, I'm too shook to even attempt to think of a comeback so I just sit in silence. Rebekah rolls her eyes and heads towards the door, before halting for a second. She turns and says, "oh and by the way, the party starts in an hour."

"Right," I mumble.

Suddenly, a series of loud thumps sound from the front door downstairs. Rebekah darts downstairs and tears a knife from out of the knife block and stands by the door.

"Rebekah love, calm down it's only our guests," Klaus smiles, peering out the window. His smile instantly fades when he locks his gaze on Caroline.

"Yeah well they're an hour early," Rebekah retorts.

"Put it away now, or I'll put _you_ away," he says coldly, flashing his fangs. Rebekah groans and reluctantly returns the knife. Klaus opens the front door to reveal Damon and Caroline.

"Where is Elena?!" Damon yells, storming through the door. "Where is she!"

"Now, no need to worry. She's completely safe," Klaus says calmly. "You'll be seeing her soon."

"We don't take orders from you, Klaus," Caroline steps in. "We want to see her _now_."

Klaus pauses for a second before gasping, "Caroline."

Caroline remains calm, but for some reason something is switched on inside of her when she hears him say her name. It sends tingles through her body, almost making her feel weak.

"I know you're mad but I'm not the enemy here," Klaus says, taking a step closer to Caroline.

"Then why did you take Elena?" Damon cuts in. Klaus freezes, and for once he looked almost … scared.

"You will see her soon, I promise. She is entirely safe in the bedroom upstairs," Klaus says. Damon begins to walk towards the staircase before Klaus says, "I wouldn't do that."

"Who's gonna stop me?" Damon scowls.

"The spell I put on the door," Klaus says calmly. "One of the perks of having a witch as a house maid."

Damon clenches his fist to stop himself from lashing out. He looks at Caroline and sees the look of worry on her face, and decides to leave Elena until Klaus returns her. All of a sudden there is a knock on the door, and a swarm of people flood into the house. Caroline looks at the grandfather clock on the wall beside the staircase to find that it is exactly 6pm, which means that these people must have been invited under compulsion. Amongst this swarm is Bonnie, who fights her way through the crowd to get to Caroline.

"Sorry I'm late, I was with Enzo and only just got your text," Bonnie pants in exhaustion. "What have I missed?"

"We were right. Klaus has Elena," Caroline sighs.

"Well why aren't we trying to get her back?" Bonnie exclaims.

"Klaus said she's safe," Caroline assures her.

"… and you trust him?" Bonnie asks.

"I-" Caroline begins.

"Caroline, may I speak with you?" Elijah interrupts.

"Uh … okay," Caroline mumbles.

Elijah takes Caroline to a reasonably private room located near the back of the house, and peers out of the door before closing it behind him to ensure they're alone.

"Caroline, you must be wondering why Klaus took your friend," Elijah says.

"Uh, yeah," Caroline mutters, crossing her arms.

"Well I just wanted to tell you," Elijah says. "Klaus told me that he took her to find out about Stefan's death."

Caroline looks down and shuffles her feet at the sound of Stefan's name. "What does Klaus care about Stefan?"

"Exactly. It's a cover up," Elijah whispers. "I think he lied to me. Last time I checked, Klaus didn't give a damn about Stefan."

"Then what do you think is going on?" Caroline asks.

Elijah leans in and whispers, "I think there's something dark here in Mystic Falls. Something that's brought darkness here before."

"What does that have to do with Elena?" Caroline says impatiently.

"Elena is the last known living doppelganger," Elijah says.

"Oh my God," Caroline gasps.

"She's going to be a sacrifice."

 **Hey all! I know there was a lotttt of dialogue in this chapter. Let me know what you thought of it! Also this chapter was all over the place so I'm sorry about that.**


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